Older Girls: January 2009 Archives

Are you a global citizen? Has Girl Scouts helped you understand and appreciate cultural differences? Tell us how.

Girls
ages 15-17 can win a nine-day expenses paid trip to Mexico including a
visit to Our Cabaña. Girls ages 12-17 can win a four to six day trip to
New York City.

Just as World Thinking Day encourages Girl Scouts to consider
girls and women globally, the Girl Scout Global Citizen Essay Contest helps Girl
Scouts reflect on the meaningful experiences they've had through Girl Scouting,
and connect those experiences with the wider world. This contest is hosted by EF
Tours and Smithsonian Student Travel.

Hey girls! I just wanted to let y'all know about our latest big adventure! For those of you who don't know us, Haleigh and I are seniors at Satsuma High School, and also Girl Scouts from north Mobile County. This past week, we traveled to Washington, D.C. with a group from our school. We were with the Close Up program, a program that takes high school students to D.C. every year. This year, however, we were able to go to all kinds of Inaugural events! We saw President Obama being sworn in, we attended an Inaugural ball, and we went to the awesome concert on Sunday! (That's where this picture was taken.) The concert was amazing, because we got to see so many famous people, like Garth Brooks, Usher, James Taylor, Tom Hanks, Queen Latifah and Beyonce; as well as President Obama and Vice-President Biden. Being in Washington D.C. during this eventful time was so incredible; we were there to witness history -- along with three million other people! The crowds were insanely huge -- we couldn't move our arms we were packed so tight! The only thing worse than the crowds was the cold, and boy was it cold! Most days, it was in the 20's and 30's, sometimes with a wind chill in the teens! Also, Haleigh got to march in the Inaugural parade with Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids, which was a huge honor. For me though, one of the coolest things was meeting new people. We stayed in a hotel with several hundred other Close Up students from all over the country, (our roommates were from California!) and it was great to see how alike we were -- and how different. Close Up is a great program, so if you ever get an opportunity to participate in the program, go for it!